Google Chat's revamped version rolls out on Android

Following the release of its new icon, Google Chat's revamped homescreen is now widely available on Android devices. The update has gained momentum in recent days, with users noticing its presence on all their devices after force-closing both the standalone Chat app and Gmail. Additionally, the Gmail homescreen widget has been updated to display only two tabs in the bottom bar.   

In the Google Chat app, the former two-tab bottom bar and "New" FAB have been replaced by a pill-shaped container featuring Home, Spaces, Direct messages, and Mentions. A circular indicator highlights the active tab, while labels for each icon are shown at the top of the screen beneath the search bar. 

Moreover, a rounded square FAB is now positioned to the right of the pill, slightly smaller and centered with other elements. 

The redesigned Google Chat initially debuted on iOS and web platforms before arriving on Android devices. In Gmail, the floating pill is placed above the existing bottom bar, which has been reduced to three tabs. 

Since Google never launched the integrated Google Chat facility for all users, they must still manually enable the "Chat" tab from Gmail Settings > their email address > General. The update is being rolled out on an account-by-account basis through a server-side update.